...Stephanie Newman English 41 Midterm Essay Beowulf: Man and Monstrosity After winning his fight against the monster Grendel, Beowulf stands on rooftop and holds up the demon’s torn-off arm, displaying the mangled limb for all to see. Our hero has just defeated this monster whose attacks on the mead-hall Heorot lasted for years, thereby relieving the Danes of “no small affliction” (832). This victory scene can easily be read as a rally of hope against the grim threat of monstrosity in Beowulf—but that would be to ignore the monstrous nature of the scene itself. There is a certain horror in watching Beowulf revel unabashedly in his slaughter of another creature. As he exhibits Grendel’s “shoulder and arm, his awesome grasp” we are invited to question what “awesome” signifies in this context (835). Are we repulsed by Grendel’s destructive force? And are we impressed by Beowulf’s equally grotesque power? If monstrosity is the insolvable problem in Beowulf, then the question at hand is where it becomes manifest: in monster, or in man. One clear fact about Beowulf’s monsters is that they are pitilessly committed to human destruction. The damage they cause to the Danes and the Geats is immeasurable, and their acts of terror afford impressive description in the text. Whole sections of the epic are dedicated to the monsters’ assaults on humans. From Grendel’s first attack on Heorot, the monster gruesomely kills men by the fistful; he is depicted, in a brutely alliterative line...
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...Thesis x2?: The Beowulf poet aims to use the monsters as puppets in order to demonstrate the problematic pride of the Germanic society, thus making the good and bad more similar than initially believed. (Perhaps more like “than given by first impression”) Grendel is one of the representations of the problematic pride within the Anglo-Saxons’ heroic society. As known of the society, one’s glory arises from their accomplishments for their lord or king. The Germanic culture believed heavily on the sharing of prizes, thus making them (nonselfish) people. Their honor was seen to be eternal, considering how their names were known throughout history. In this sense, the natural (happening?) of these accomplishments is for the holder to go higher in...
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...some type of creature. The Anglo-Saxons epic Beowulf, scribed sometime in the 9th century A.D.,presents the heroic journey of the titular hero. Beowulf serves as the only epic written in Old English and severed a porthole into the values of Anglo-Saxons culture anonymous author utilizes Beowulf as an epic hero to presents Anglo-Saxons values, but he also uses the monster to show that which this culture valued. Whereas Beowulf, like all epic heroes, such as Odysseus and Achilles from the Homeric epics, serves as the epitome a=of his culture values, the monster serve as the outcasts of that society and culture. Through the portrayals of the epic here and the three monster the author reveals the Anglo- Saxons valued super human qualities. The author presents Beowulf as a superman of the 9th century. As the story begins, Beowulf is telling King Hrothgar that he is the best of the best and that he will save his town from this creature they call Grendel. But the big kicker is is when he says if it(Grendel) “is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none. Nor will. After that was said everyone begins to party and give their great praise to Beowulf for coming to the rescue. As Beowulf comes forth, the Danes feel that they will now be able to live in peace for now on. Grendel has haunted the moors for the last twelve years and that will all come to an end when Beowulf shows up. The royal battle between Grendel and Beowulf. Beowulf began to show cases his super human capability...
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...around him, the lake itself like a fiery flame.” The story of Beowulf is of a hero saving innocent people from monsters by killing them. Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic; it is a story about heroism, honor, glory, goodness and the fight against evil. The hero of the story is warrior Beowulf. Beowulf has to fight three evil monsters throughout his life in the story. Beowulf, the hero and main character of the story had to fight a giant monster, Grendel with his bare hands, Grendel’s mother with a giant’s sword, and a fire-breathing dragon. He is the strongest amongst all men. His fuel for fighting these monsters is the unending thirst for glory; glory he could die for, glory that a lord seeks. His heroic abilities were present from the start. Beowulf’s character is described as if he were god. Beowulf is a form of god descended from the sky to send the demons to their final destination, hell. Beowulf’s resume includes killing sea monsters and giants. This clearly depicts the fact that he is a man with great power. Throughout the epic, Beowulf has been characterized as a supreme and divine man, a god in form of man. The quote from the epic ”a brilliant light burned all around him”, a phrase from The Battle with Grendel’s Mother, clearly means that the divine light is shone upon Beowulf to protect him and destroy evil. The powers only god could have. The clear light represents life, glowing, and guiding lord Beowulf find evil. It guides the all-powerful find his way and support...
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...Olsen Snow English 12 21 September 2015 Beowulf Essay Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon Epic, narrative poem. Meaning that it is a story of the battles between warriors and monsters consisting of long and descriptive speeches from each character. It follows the great and honorable Beowulf in his numerous conquests as he instills hope through the destruction of many a foe. Beowulf was passed down orally before being written down and ultimately becoming the national epic of England as it is today. Beowulf itself can be described as a story of dual ordeal, that showcases both an internal battle with human weakness and an external fight between a champion and evil monsters. Right from the beginning of the story part of the external half of the dual ordeal is outlined in these following lines: “A powerful monster, living down in the darkness, growled in pain, impatient.” (Beowulf 1-2). These couple lines showcase the first of several monstrous threats that the heroic warrior will have to soon face. Grendel is described as powerful and in darkness. This depicts that the hero, Beowulf, will have a worthy opponent to face in the battle between good and evil. Later on in the poem when Beowulf arrives to do battle with Grendel he faces Grendel unarmed to maintain his honor due to the fact that Grendel does not use weapons. The outcome of said battle is described in Beowulf, lines 330 through 338. “Grendel's one thought was to run from Beowulf, flee back to his marsh and hide there: This...
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...Without sympathizing someone's emotions it could lead to solitude, which could linger devastating ones being. In both novels Beowulf, by Seamus Heaney, and Grendel, by John Gardner, it primarily focuses on the malicious conflict between the human civilization and creatures out of the ordinary, considered to be monsters. The main discrepancy was a monster named Grendel and Beowulf a hero from a kingdom terrorized for years, by Grendel himself. The monster was said to have killed many people, however, his reasoning was unsure. Without remorse the warrior slain the monster to stop the terror in which Grendel created; however, the reason the beast killed so many people was because of the lack of understanding between him and the society, this in...
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...Good Vs. Evil In Beowulf, the conflict between good and evil is the poem's main and most important aspect. The poet makes it clear that good and evil doesn’t exist as only opposites, but that both qualities are present in everyone. Beowulf represents the ability to do good or to perform acts selflessly and in help of others. Goodness is also showed throughout this epic as having the ability to cleanse evil. Even though evil is presented by Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon, who are filled with a desire to act against people and ultimately destroy them, even pride, a human quality, is presented in Beowulf as a sign that evil exists. This story might even be considered a classic because it mainly talks about the old fashion good vs. evil, hero vs. villain. Beowulf and the three monsters show the significant difference between good and evil, and why god will always prevail. At the beginning of the play, one reads about Grendel, who is a man eating monster who is feared by everyone. Grendel represents sin and evil throughout the story in various ways. Evil is first shown by the monster Grendel when, “Suddenly then the God-cursed brute was creating havoc: greedy and grim, he grabbed thirty men from their resting places and rushed to his lair”. (Beowulf 120-124). Grendel lives in the darkness and has absolutely no remorse on human life. This shows a very big quality of an evil being and how the Anglo-Saxons viewed evil in forms of monsters. Evil is also thought to be greedy...
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...“They watch on, evil, incredibly stupid, enjoying my destruction” (Page 174). In the novel Grendel by John Gardner, the main character, Grendel, acts as a monster who is jeopardizing the King Hrothgar’s town. The novel is told by Grendel himself. With Grendel as the narrator, the audience is able to understand his thoughts and the events that he goes through. By Gardner choosing to have Grendel narrate the story, the reader is able to see into his life, grasp his thoughts and feelings, and understand why he turned into the monster he is. As Grendel tells the story, the audience is able to see the events that he takes place in and understand why he makes the choices that he does. Grendel telling the story firsthand lets the reader follow his life from childhood, to when he becomes a monster. Grendel evolves greatly through the story as his opinions on certain things change. He acquires a more advanced way of narrating and writing through the novel. He also includes things like the thoughts of other characters, for example, when he's comparing humans to animals saying the deer “sees all life without observing it” (Page 8). His narration changes the storyline and the view of things from that of Beowulf. If the novel were to be told by another character, the reader would not get a clear...
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...literary works of fiction, authors use diverse images and symbols in order to trigger a particular reaction from the audience. Some authors, however, use traditional images in new contexts challenging the audience's perception of those iconic characters. Authors often argue that characters can have different meanings and symbolism in different cultures and different times. The best example of these new meanings is seen through the writing about iconic monsters in different time periods. From the analysis’ of Beowulf and Grendel: The Truth Behind England’s Oldest Legend by John Grigsby and Grendel by John Gardner, the character of Grendel in both books is the symbolic meaning of how society is afraid of the unknown. When people are confronted with an unfamiliar circumstance, it is human nature to twist the unknown into something frightening and unacceptable....
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...Beowulf is one of the epic poems portraying a heroic concept. The Anglo-Saxon time frame used Old English to come forth a generation of literature, which included heroic poetry. Beowulf consists of many characters contributing to the plot of the poem. There are both basic and complex archetypes shown in the poem. The epic poem includes many archetypes but the most dominant ones including the hero, the shadow, and the herald. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the author uses archetypes to develop the plot. The main character Beowulf, displays a superior archetype in the epic poem by being the hero within the story. A hero is defined as one who gets praised for brave acts and Beowulf does exactly that. Beowulf displays this archetype in various ways...
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...Throughout history and even in the modern world, tales, fables, and stories tell of hideous and cunning monsters who wreak havoc on those around them. Similarly, in the epic poem Beowulf, monsters such as demons and dragons are integral parts, playing a large role in the plot. No historian has been able to conclusively prove how the idea of monsters was invented. Several theories claim to explain how the existence of monsters was created; one credible theory states that monsters could have derived from the projection of unwanted qualities in humans. Monsters could be a twisted personification of humans who exaggerate elements of human nature that the world has traditionally perceived as bad (Trout). In the translation of Beowulf by Seamus...
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...Trails of heroic fate of Beowulf Introduction The narrative of epic poem Beowulf consists of three episodes in which the hero is engaged in the peculiar mission of fighting with three fabulous monsters (Fisher 1958, p.173). The first monster Grendel is quickly defeated; the second, Grendel’s dam is depicted with greater elaboration but also ends in demise at the hands of Beowulf; and the eventual dragon, distanced from the previous two in a span of fifty years, brings the heroic career of aging Beowulf to an end. The unity of Beowulf’s three fights from ease to death, perceived by some researchers like Klaeber (1950), holds the epic together. Others see the epic poem more than a collection of three different fights in a hero’s life, but it is united and intertwined by two parts—the fights with Grendel and his dam and the final dragon fight—signaling “the opposition of hero and king, youth and age, the beginning and ending of a life achievement” (Tolkien 1936). On the basis of this premise, Fisher (1958) conceives the theme of the epic as the “doom of Beowulf”, the integration of “redemption and judgment treated in a way which skillfully blends the Germanic hero with the Christian saint” (p.171). Wrenn (1958) states the similar notion, arguing Beowulf, a Germanic hero, shows his greatest splendor “ not alone in winning glory by victory, but rather by finding his supremely noble qualities especially in the moment of death in battle”. The essay aims to analyze the three fights...
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...Picture a world shrouded in darkness and despair, where war was inevitable and its inhabitants lived with a relentless sense of fear. Medieval Europe was not a peaceful or secure place, but rather a world filled with turmoil, suffering, and unrest. Commoners living in medieval Europe never strayed far from the security of their homes because evil and suffering lurked in the unknown. Thus, it was rare for men to venture into the dark places of such a hopeless world. However, men willing to travel and suffer in such places were considered warriors and deemed worthy of honor and merit. The story of Beowulf recounts the life of an idealized warrior, whose desire for honor requires him to suffer at the hands of monsters. In many ways, Beowulf’s...
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...Beowulf is an epic poem written in Old English encompassing the mythical tale of the eponymous character of Beowulf. The tale includes his heroic struggles with monstrous beings such as Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and an avaricious dragon. The primary of those, beast Grendel, serves as the protagonist of a philosophical novel of the same name, Grendel. Written by Anglo-Saxon Scholar John Gardner, the novel presents the fictitious tale of Grendel in the world of Beowulf as he struggles to find meaning and purpose in its life. Grendel is a bastard of man and monster. Yet, he feels himself separated from both. This lust and yearning for purpose sets out on his adventures. His purpose is to find purpose. Now, naturally Grendel is monstrous, but...
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...creating a path of destruction burning the Geat nation and delivering “brutal assaults” (2318) from “virulent hate”(2319). Beowulf learns of this dangerous threat that has took monstrous amounts of innocent fatalities. Beowulf bravely admits “he was destined to face the end of his days in this mortal world; as was the dragon” (2342-2343). Beowulf wishes to fight the dragon as he did in his younger years against Grendel hand-to-hand....
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